Conventionally, a weatherstrip of an elongate resiliently deformable strip is attached to an upper door frame on a door or to the adjacent jamb structure of a vehicle body in order to seal the clearance space between the upper door frame and the adjacent jamb structure in the closed position of the door and also to serve as a cushioning member upon closing of the door. A known door seal construction uses a weatherstrip having a base portion and a lip portion extending from the base section. In this door seal construction, the weatherstrip is attached to an upper door frame member on a door with the base portion fitting in an upper mounting channel of the upper door frame member in such a manner that the lip portion will yieldably engage the adjacent jamb structure of a vehicle body when the door is closed.
However, this construction permits the weatherstrip to be relatively easily dislodged from the mounting channel, thus adversely affecting the integrity of the door seal. Additionally, this construction permits unwanted lateral movement of the weatherstrip in the mounting channel. As a result, water, dirt, and wind can penetrate the door seal and potentially damage various structures of the automotive vehicle.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus for securely retaining a weatherstrip in a mounting channel, such as an upper mounting channel of an upper door frame of an automotive vehicle.